Deb Williams, Senior Writer

An award winning motorsports journalist, Deb Williams has covered auto racing for more than 30 years. She began her career covering weekly short-track races in Asheville, N.C., while a student at East Tennessee State University and continued after becoming the sports editor at the newspaper in Waynesville, N.C. Upon joining United Press International in Raleigh, N.C., as a general assignment reporter, she began covering NASCAR's top two series and continued to do so after being named UPI's Charlotte, N.C., bureau manager. After leaving UPI, she spent 18 years with the publication NASCAR Winston Cup Scene, serving as its editor for 10 years. Her numerous honors include the Henry T. McLemore Award, the Russ Catlin Award and the George Cunningham National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year award. She has received NMPA awards for columns, news, features and magazine stories. She has written three books. Her most recent, “The Evolution of NASCAR, A Historical Collection, was released in November 2010. Williams has taught the Evolution of Southern Motorsports at Appalachian State University, and has been interviewed for historical motorsports shows that have aired on ESPN and SPEED. She resides in Concord, N.C.

Articles by Deb Williams

Saturday, Sep 5, 2015  17:56 | Comments Off on Gordon’s Romance With Lady In Black Almost Over

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DARLINGTON, S.C. – For more than two decades Jeff Gordon has had an annual date with the Lady in Black – aka Darlington Raceway – and most of the time the treacherous ol’ gal and her young suitor have enjoyed their dance.
In 34 races, Gordon has collected seven victories on […]

DARLINGTON, S.C. – With the Southern 500 returning to its traditional Labor Day weekend date at Darlington Raceway and the track promoting a “throwback” theme, of the 28 teams using throwback paint schemes on their cars, perhaps Richard Petty Motorsports has taken the biggest step back in time.
Aric Almirola has adopted a Fu Manchu […]

Wednesday, Sep 2, 2015  7:10 | Comments Off on Texters Ride For Love Of Sport And Family

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – Cory and Shayna Texter know well the tough life of an AMA Pro Flat Track racer; after all, their father, Randy, was an AMA U.S. Twin Sports Champion. But when he died in 2010 the siblings didn’t know if they could continue in the sport.
Their biggest supporter […]

Sunday, Aug 23, 2015  7:17 | Comments Off on Logano, Team Penske Are Again Stellar At Night

BRISTOL, Tenn. – With Joey Logano’s Saturday victory in the Irwin Tools Night Race, Team Penske has now won three of the last five night races at Bristol Motor Speedway to move owner Roger Penske into sole position of second on the tough half-mile track’s all-time win list.
Previously, Penske was tied for second with […]

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Speedway Motorsports Inc. Executive Chairman Bruton Smith is attending this weekend’s events at Bristol Motor Speedway after battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma earlier this summer, it was announced Friday.
“We talked about this for the last few days actually, about having a conversation because health and personal matters are […]

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Clint Bowyer admitted Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway that neither he nor sponsor Five-Hour Energy saw the demise of Michael Waltrip Racing coming. After all, Bowyer was eight months into a three-year deal.
Bowyer isn’t tipping his hand as to where he’s going, even though the rumors are strong that it’s HScott […]

Saturday, May 23, 2015  19:19 | Comments Off on Gordon Set For Swan Song 600 Appearance

CONCORD, N.C. – Twenty-one years ago Jeff Gordon stepped into the spotlight on NASCAR’s Sprint Cup stage at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That night the then 22-year-old Hendrick Motorsports driver and his Ray Evernham-led crew outsmarted veteran Rusty Wallace and his Penske team on the competitors’ final stop in the Coca-Cola 600 to claim their first […]

By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
CONCORD, N.C. – With four crashes this month during preparations for the Indianapolis 500, one which left James Hinchcliffe hospitalized in ICU, the question as to whether NASCAR should have a traveling medical team has once again come to the forefront.
NASCAR has nurses who are familiar with the drivers and […]

Thursday, May 21, 2015  18:59 | Comments Off on NASCAR Hall Having A Healing Effect On The Sport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – No matter whether it’s the adage “time heals old wounds” or it’s the fact that sometimes history takes a different view of events, there’s little doubt that one person was correct when he said the NASCAR Hall of Fame mends fences.
With Bruton Smith’s and Curtis Turner’s selection to the NASCAR Hall of […]